Bottle feed device for labeling machines



March 15, 1949. fr. D. REIMERS 2,464,539

BOTTLE EEED DEVICE Fon LABELING MACHINES 2 sheets-sheet 1 ZF' .Z y lg zi Filed July 9,v 1946 IHHUH.

| Z' 265B I 'TheodorelDPeimers ATTO R N EY Patented Mar. 15, 1949 BOTTLE FEED DEVICE FOR LABELING MACHINES Theodore D. Reimers, Manhasset, N. Y., assignor to Edward Ermold Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 9, 1946, Serial No. 682,323

Claims.

This invention relates to bottle labelling machines and more particularly to improvements therein for the feeding and guidance of bottles immediately prior to their labelling.

Heretofore, when'bottles were fed to such labelling machines for the purpose of being labelled, it was necessary to tilt the bottles and then again place them in upright position for the application of the label thereto. Such tilting was objectionable in that contents were disturbed, and sometimes breakage resulted.

The object of the invention is to provide means to overcome these objections.

The invention consists in adjacent spacers having a at track between the same and each having gates yieldable in one direction by a bottle passing along the track, the gates being self closing after the passage of the bottle. The gates on the adjacent spacers are arranged in pairs, spaced longitudinally from each other. lower set of gates is disposed below the rear pair of the upper gates. The bottles are fed to the track and moved along the track by means well known. The provision of the gates permits the movement of thebottles in a level path, in contrast to the depression path as heretofore, and the spaced gates serve to adjust the bottle in upright position in the event a bottle should be tilted.

The invention includes the novel form of spacer having a part forming a part of the track and a raised web portion extending therefrom for supporting a cover portion to which gates are supported, the removal ofthe cover portion with the gates thereon facilitating repair of the same, without removal of the web portion and track portion which thus remain as part of the labelling machine installation.

Each of the outer spacers have gates directed only in one, or inward direction, whileall the intermediate spacers have gates directed in opposite directions, laterally thereof. The oppositely directed gates of two adjacent spacers serve as the operative gates to receive and to hold -between a pair of longitudinally disposed pairs of gates, the bottle for assuring its upright position immediately prior to the positioning of the bottle to the labeller and successive wiper.

Preferably the foremost gates have a bevelled entry portion and have their tips spaced from each other, to facilitate the passage of the bottle from one pair of gates to its successive pair which have a straight part acting as an abutment, the gates being so shaped as to be interchangeable.

'- The invention will be more fully described here- Preferably, a

inafter, embodiments thereof shown in the drawings, and the invention will be nally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of a known labelling machine having the improvement applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of parts of Fig. l, showing the improvement;

Fig. 4 is a vertical side view of the improvement, viewed from line 4 4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical end view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical central section of Fig. and

Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views showing the tilting of a bottle.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the rvarious views.

Referring to the drawings, the kno-wn bottle conveyor I0 in the form of an endless belt, is driven by mechanism well known, and not shown. It receives the bottles I I in predetermined spaced position, from mechanism known and not shown,

i' and moves then transversely across the labelling machine, in the direction of the arrow I2. A pusher bar I5, is supported by links I6 hinged thereto at IGa, which links are pivotally supported on brackets I1 on the frame of the machine. The length of the pusher bar I5 corresponds to the length of the spaced bottles I I`,'in tended to be used in one charge, being eight in the embodiment shown in Fig. l. Each link I6 is secured to a vertical pin I8, having a gear I9 meshing with a gear 20, on a shaft 2|, which shaft 2 I is rotated by suitable means, (known and not shown) which act in consonance with-the mechanism for moving the conveyor I0, as well known. The inward thrust of the pusher bar I5 is such that each bottle II is moved laterally fromA the conveyor I'Il on to the front end of a track 25.' YA plurality of spaced and parallel tracks 25 are shown, eight in number. Each bottle is then engaged by a pair of bottle pushers 26, and moved to a position in front of a label applying device 2l, whichdesce'nds to apply a label to the bottle and thenV after the bottle is passed by the labeller, the labeller-gets out of the way as known as to give free passage to the bottle when the bottle is pushed further along the track. As the bottle moves it encounters a label pressing device 28, which consists of a pair of Wipers, which device performs its function while the bottle is moving on the track being pushed by the bottle pusher 26. The bottle pushers 26 extend at spaced portions from an endless chain or belt driven continuously by suitable mechanism. A spacer 4I separates each adjacent two tracks. All of the parts described together with interacting operative mechanism for the same are part of a commercial bottle labelling machine and well known.

Heretofore, the tracks' at their ends in proximity to the conveyor l0, were provided with a depression formed by inclined walls, resembling a. V depression, into which the bottom of the bottle was pushed and the bottle then took an inclined position. A stationary crossbar on the labelling machine was in the path of the neck of the bottle, and as the bottle moved, its bottom dropped into its first or forwardly inclined position. The bottle pusher 25 still engaging the bottle bottom, moved it further along the other inclined part and on to the flat track and along the track, to its discharge upon a platform 3| or the like at the discharge end of the labelling machine. Preferably the tracks 25 are inclined as at 32, to reduce the purchase of the bottle pusher 26, as the bottles are being discharged from the labelling machine to the delivery table or platform 3|.

This tilting of the bottle before the labelling of the same had the objection of unnecessarily agitating the contents, which sometimes released the gases from the contents. of the bottle. Breakage of the bottles also sometimes resulted.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantageous features. fIhe track 25 at its front part in proximity to the bottle feed conveyor lil, is made without the aforesaid V depression that is, it is at, so that the tracks are in a plane throughout until the labels have been applied.

In order to properly guide the bottles in their passage through the labelling machine, and to prevent them from being inclined or upset by the pushers 26, pairs Vof spaced gates are arranged on spacers 4I. The end spacers 4la have each a pair of gates lill, extending inwardly in one direction only. The intermediate spacers 4lb are each provided with pairs of spaced gates, extending laterally in opposite directions from each spacer. Each gate 40 extends from a spacer 4l about one half the distance between two adjacent spacers, with the ends of the gates allowing for a clearance space. Each gate 40 is pivoted to its spacer, and is held in its closed position by a spring 44. When a bottle is moved by the bottle pusher 26 against the first pair of opposed gates, this pair opens and permits the bottle to be held in upright position between the first pair of opposed gates and the second pair of opposed gates, and the bottle is heldin upright position between these pairs of gates. These gates are so disposed along the entrance ends of the tracks, (Fig. 2) that, when the bottle pushers 26 act on the bottles, the bottles are held between the successive pairs of gates. These bottle pushers strike the bottoms of the Ibottles during the time the bottle pushers have an in clination to the vertical axis of the bottle, and in consequence incline the bottles. But the first pair of opposed lgates acts to hold the bottles from being inclined by the bottle pusher 26, due to the sufficient tensioning of the springs of the gates. By the time the bottles are moved into a position between the two pairs of opposed gates, the bottle pusher 26 has reached a substantially vertical position, and the bottle pusher 26 is then substantially parallel with the axis of the bottle. There is then no tendency to incline the Ibottle, and the bottle can then be moved further on the track, in an upright position being suitably pushed by the vertically positioned bottle pusher with the bottle in upright position against the label applying mechanism and the label pressure device of the labelling machine.

The spacer'll'l is constructed by having a lower platform 5l] secured to the frame of the labelling machine, the upper surface 5l' of which platform 56 is arranged flush with the conveyor Ill and track 25. Anupper platform 52 is supported by a vertical web 53 joining the two platforms integrally. To the upper platform 52 at the front thereof, a bolt 54 is screwed (Fig. 5). Each gate member 4l] has an eye 55 through which the bolt 54 passes. Thereby each gate member 40 is pivoted to a bolt 54. The spring 44 is Wound around the bolt to form a helical portion 56, and each of the free ends 5'! of the spring 44 presses against Ia gate member 4D. The front part of each front gate member 4E) is bevelled as at 58 to permit a sliding entrance of the bottie. The rear part of this gate member is straight across to act as an abutment to the bottle. The next pair of gate members 4B is straight across at each of their front surfaces, and bevelled at y their rear portions, which, however, now have no particular function. The upper platform 52 is provided with abutments 59 to prevent the gate member 45 from moving in a direction beyond the abutments. Thus, the bottle can open apair of gate members 46 by overcoming the action of the springs and the gate memberscan return to their original position, but cannot be moved beyond that initial position byany pressure of the bottle. The rear pair of gate'members are higher than the front pair.

The lower platform 5l has one pair of gate members 40 constructed in the same manner immediately below the. rear pair of gates on the upper platform 52, and are as the upper gates, but may be somewhat shorter in length.

In Fig. 7, is shown diagrammatically a bottle Il in inclined position kwhich a bottle may take accidentally. The continued movement of the bottle causes the bottle to press against the lower rear pair of gates against the tension of the springs, until the bottle rights itselfinto vertical position. Should the bottle accidentally incline itself in the opposite direction as shown in Fig. 8, the continued movement of the bottle by the pusher 26, will cause the bottle to right itself into upright position,

I have describe-d several forms of my invention, but obviously various changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the following claims:

I claim:

l. In a labellingmachine having aconveyor for spaced bottles, a pusher bar for pushingsaid spaced bottles into the labelling machine, a. plurality of tracks to receive the bottles, a plurality of spacers, one between each adjacent pairs of tracks, and aplurality of pushers for moving the bottles on the tracks, `the combination of a pair of .opposed gates, each gate pivoted to a spacer, forming afront pair `of gates anda rearA pairv of gates alongthe line of a track, said. pairs vrof gates being spaced from each other alittle more than the diameter of a bottle, whereby the gates of vone spacer form with the gates of the adjacent spacer, enclosing means for a bottle forholding the Vbottle in upright position while the bottle is being pushed by a pusher along the track.

2. In a labelling machine having a conveyor for spaced bottles, a pusher bar for pushing said spaced bottles into the labelling machine, a plurality of tracks to receive the bottles, a plurality of spacers, one between each adjacent pairs of tracks, a plurality of pushers for moving the bottles on the tracks, the combination of a pair of opposed gates, each gate pivoted to a spacer, forming a front pair of gates and a rear pair of gates along the line of a track, said pairs of gates being spaced from each other a little more than the diameter of a bottle, and a pair of opposed gates below one of said pairs of gates, whereby the gates of one spacer form with the gates of the adjacent spacer, enclosing means for a bottle for holding the bottle in upright position while the bottle is -being pushed by a pusher along the track.

3. In a labelling machine having a conveyor for spaced bottles, a pusher bar for pushing said spaced bottles into the labelling machine, a plurality of tracks to receive the bottles, a plurality of spacers, one between each adjacent pairs of tracks, and a plurality of pushers for moving the bottles on the tracks, the combination of a pair of opposed gates, each gate pivoted to a spacer, forming a front pair of gates and a rear pair oi gates along the line of a track, said pairs of gates being spaced from each other a little more than the diameter of a bottle, a spring under tension for each gate permitting movement of the gate inwardly by the bottle, in the direction of the movement of the bottle along a track, against the tension of said spring, and returning the gate to its initial or normal position, and an abutment on each spacer for preventing movement of the gate in a direction forward of its normal position.

4. A labelling machine comprising a track to receive bottles in succession, a pusher for moving the bottles along the track, a front pair of gates and a rear pair of gates overlying said track and resiliently opposing movement of a bottle along said track, said gates being spaced apart length- Wise of said track a little more than the diameter of a bottle to hold the bottle in upright position while the bottle is between said pairs of gates.

5. In a labelling machine, the combination oi a track arranged in a substantially horizontal plane, means supplying bottles successively to said track, means for moving bottles along said track, and a pair of gates spaced apart lengthwise of said track a distance slightly greater than the diameter of a bottle, for enclosing a bottle and preventing it from being tilted by the action of the bottle moving means, each gate including a pair of members extending inwardly from oppo site sides of said track and resiliently opposing movement of a bottle along said track.

THEODORE D. REIMERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ermold Aug. 16, 1932 Number 

